Brothers
by Ohappydaze
Summary: Obi-Wan's new Padawan has a question for his master, one that Obi-Wan will wish he had answered differently when he knows he will never see the man he called his brother again.


"Hey, Obi-Wan?"

The Jedi Master in question lowered the Data Pad and glanced over his shoulder with an eyebrow raised in expectancy and slight annoyance. His Padawan of merely two months was trailing quickly behind him with a rare, thoughtful expression on his face: One Obi-Wan wished he saw more on his pupil.

"I told you, Anakin. You are to call me Master, now. It's disrespectful, otherwise." Chided Obi-Wan wearily, resuming his walk as his attention fell back to the glowing screen in his hands. Anakin Skywalker hopped a little as the final bound to put him in pace with the man, and watched his feet as he walked.

"Sorry, Master." He said dismissively, making Obi-Wan get the panging irritation that came with the knowledge that he would be called by his name again in a matter of minutes, "I have a question for you."

The unpromising causality in the young boy's tone gave Obi-Wan the feeling that he was about to be questioned about _How come you guys wear robes? _Or, perhaps, his favorite; _If you put the tip of each Lightsaber handle together, then ignited them, would they explode? _

Later, the two boys discovered they did, indeed, explode. And Anakin had never seen an entire crowd of Jedi Masters lecture and put their face in their hands so much before. But he seemed to find it hilarious that Obi-Wan stayed in the corner of the room for the duration of that reprimand-fest.

"Does it have anything to do with your recent lessons?" Asked Obi-Wan, deciding to nip an inevitable fiasco in the bud if Anakin's answer came negatively.

Anakin's eyebrows furrowed together, and his lower lip jutted out slightly in thought, "Well, not _exactly._ But it's something that's been bugging me, lately..."

"I've already explained the concept of elevators to you, Anakin."

"No, no, it's not that." Said Anakin quickly, waving his hands. "It's...Well...Nevermind. I guess it's not that important." His tone dropped near the end, and a small sigh escaped his lips, catching Obi-Wan's attention long enough to have his blue eyes flicker downward at the child before returning to the screen.

"Apparently not." Obi-Wan replied evenly, flicking his finger across the device to navigate to the next page. They walked through the great halls of the Jedi Temple in silence; nothing but their boots echoing against the stone making a sound in the oddly desert hall.

For about five seconds, that is.

"Alright, Obi-Wan." A new record of forgetfulness, Obi-Wan noted as Anakin went on, "Maybe it is kinda important. At least _I_ think it is."

"_Master, _Anakin_. _And perhaps you should consider your question and figure out if it will be meaningful to me, as well, before you say something foolish." Said Obi-Wan with a light sigh, already missing those few moments of peace.

Anakin's face clouded over as his eyes fell downward in deep thought. The quiet resumed again, allowing Obi-Wan to mentally congratulate himself for stirring up such contemplation in the boy, for once. Soon the new Jedi Master grew content in becoming absorbed in his device, and didn't even realize that his student was beginning to fall a stride short of matching his brisk walk.

It wasn't until Anakin had stopped altogether that Obi-Wan finally looked up and noticed what was missing. Turning over his shoulder, he saw Anakin standing back a ways, suddenly not looking quite himself: He clutched at the hem of his tunic, and the expression on his face could only be described as defeated.

"I don't know if it's important to you, or not. But I'm gonna ask it, anyway." Anakin stated, sounding much firmer than he looked, which was something Obi-Wan couldn't help but admire, even to such a small degree.

Obi-Wan shook his head lightly, wordlessly reminding himself to work on Anakin's stubbornness, and was instantly drawn back to the Data Pad.

"Go on, then, if you're so determined..." Another page, another list of supplies the recently attacked Carrier was robbed of...Obi-Wan had forgotten to be impatient with Anakin's hesitancy, and wouldn't have even heard the question if didn't strike him so deeply and so unexpectedly.

"Do you like me, Obi-Wan?"

For the first time that day, the Data Pad was lowered, and Obi-Wan's full attention was on the small, pleading child standing uncertainly in front of him.

"I beg your pardon?" Obi-Wan asked, ducking his head forward a little to hear the question he had heard transparently clear the first time. He didn't even think to correct Anakin.

"You act like you don't want me to be around you all the time," Anakin clarified almost factually, "And you always sigh a lot whenever I talk to you."

For a few moments, all Obi-Wan could do was stare at him. Then, with a light clearing of his throat, he looked at Anakin calmly, "That's only because you constantly test my patience with your exuberant behavior, my young Padawan. And although I've never gone so far as to not enjoy your presence, it is only natural to grow tiresome when you talk of your diet for the past two mornings as opposed to meditation."

It took a long time, but Anakin had managed to grow used to Obi-Wan's weird way of talking and, after translating this particular paragraph, dropped his shoulders, "So I _do _annoy you."

"To put it bluntly, yes, on occasion you do." Replied Obi-Wan heartlessly. At seeing the sloppily guarded disappointment on Anakin's face, a voice reminded him to have pity on the child. Thinking quickly, he made a split-second choice, and threw in an addition to that harsh statement, "But I annoyed Qui-Gon as well, you know."

Anakin perked up almost instantly and made a face, as if he didn't fully buy that his stingy Master could have ever bothered anyone. Well, unless he went on one of those long speeches about boring stuff like _Democracy _(Which, Anakin still didn't get.)

"You did?" He asked, cocking his head. Obi-Wan took a second to identify what Anakin reminded him of at that moment, and after settling for a lost and confused Tusk Cat, he looked across the hallway out a great, arching window that displayed the vast city of the Republic.

"Yes. In fact, he didn't even want me as a Padawan at first." Said Obi-Wan in a distant voice, recalling the day he first met his old friend and Master. Thinking of it caused a sore spot to sharpen in his chest, making him cough into his fist before passing Anakin a look, "But we'll save that story for another time. The point is; he grew fond of me, as I did him. And I'm sure you and I will do likewise."

"But I already like you." Said Anakin bluntly with a frown, "You're kinda like my annoying, bossy big brother."

The only thing that surprised Obi-Wan more than the bold choice of adjectives, was the easy confession of such an affectionate title. He closed his mouth that he found gaping open, and swallowed dryly, analyzing Anakin from his distance. All avoidance and uncertainty had washed from Anakin, and he now stood there; open, honest, and painfully sincere. Unusual for a boy his age, but at the same time, strangely endearing.

Obi-Wan had a brother, but little memories of him: Enough to know what it was like having someone that close, though. Anakin, on the other hand, was born an only child, and could only imagine what it would be like to have a sibling. Even without anything to compare him to, it seemed that Obi-Wan fit the child's bill of what an ideal older brother should be like, and that didn't go unchecked in his mind.

After taking it all in, Obi-Wan looked carefully at the young boy who could only have been hoping that he was being seen as a little brother in the man's eyes. And, truthfully, Anakin looked like he was expecting Obi-Wan to return the title of _Brother_.

But a wall of defense kept Obi-Wan from letting that vision enter his heart, and the Jedi Master knew that it would take some time before he could allow Anakin to push through it. So instead of giving Anakin what he wished to hear, Obi-wan brushed back his hair; growing out now that his Padawan braid was gone, and reached out to beckon for his student to rejoin him by his side.

"I believe we established that the annoying one is you, my young Padawan." He said in that rare, joking tone, with the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips. It was clear he didn't reach Anakin's expectations with his response, but the boy grinned nonetheless and ran to catch up to him.

_"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you." _

Years later, Obi-Wan watched the burning planet of Mustafar shrink in the distance with the sound of his last words to Anakin ringing in his head, wishing he had voiced them before _love_ became a thing of the past.


End file.
